Ford is pushing through the final development stage of its new Focus ST, which is due on sale next year, as these swirly-camouflaged press-shots-pretending-to-be-spy-shots illustrate.
The new 'faster-than-the-old-ST-but-not-quite-as-pokey-as-the-old-RS' ST is replacing the old car's soulful but thirsty five-cylinder motor with a new 247bhp version of Ford's latest 2.0-litre 'Ecoboost' range of engines. The aim is not only to improve performance but also to increase significantly the car's fuel economy (not a particularly difficult feat to achieve if our old PH Fleet Focus is anything to go by).
But the new ST will also be significant as it is the first-ever 'global' performance Ford.
"It must live up to Ford's reputation for producing affordable yet exciting and sporty versions of its smaller cars that reward and delight enthusiast drivers, but can also be used every day," says Jost Capito, Ford's global head of performance vehicles.
"We've done all the engineering groundwork, and now we're using some of the most demanding roads we can find in Europe and North America to validate and fine tune the performance and driving dynamics."
The fact that the new Focus will bring The ST badge to North American and Asian markets for the first time makes it even more vital that the new car lives up to Ford's reputation for building fine-handling performance cars.
"Like the Focus ST and RS models before it, the new Focus ST's final set-up will be achieved after painstaking tuning on some of the most demanding roads we can find," says Capito, "from California to the Nürburgring, and from high-speed German autobahns to classic British B-roads,"
So whether you're cruising the Pacific Coast Highway, hooning around the 'Ring or just attacking your favourite British B-road, have a look out for one of around 60 of these pre-production prototypes undergoing final testing at the hands of Ford's Team Rs or SVT engineers. And if you get a chance, stop them and ask when the RS version is coming out...